Month-long challenge prompted over 800 high school students to register or pre-register to vote

SAN DIEGO – On Monday, May 20 the City of San Diego announced the winners of the Shirley N. Weber Voter Registration Challenge during an awards ceremony at City Hall. The Office of the City Clerk partnered with the Office of Child of Youth Success to host this month-long challenge in April for local high schools as part of the city’s ongoing effort to promote civic engagement among local youth. First announced by Mayor Todd Gloria, the challenge aligns with the California Education Code that designates the last two weeks of April and September to be High School Voter Education Weeks.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Mayor Gloria presented awards to the top three winners for the highest number of voter registration cards collected, and the highest percentage based on eligible students.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to formally recognize schools that champion voter pre-registration,” said Secretary Weber. “Voting is making one’s voice heard and having one’s voice heard is a crucial component of democracy. By pre-registering to vote, these students have positioned themselves to have a say in decisions that impact them, their families and their communities.”

“I launched the Dr. Shirley N. Weber High School Voter Registration Challenge to empower students to become active participants in shaping their communities, our city and our country,” said Mayor Gloria. “I encourage every young San Diegan to make their voices heard at the ballot box.”

Throughout the challenge, 19 high schools participated and 825 students registered or pre-registered to vote. The winning schools for the highest number of voter registration cards collected are:

Mission Bay High School
Will C. Crawford High School
James Madison High School.

The winning schools for the highest percentage based on the school’s number of eligible students are:

San Diego Metropolitan Regional, Career, and Technical High School
The Preuss School UC San Diego
High Tech High International.

During the voter challenge, staff shared resources and promotional materials to encourage students to register to vote. In addition to registering students ages 18 and older to vote, schools encouraged eligible students ages 16 and 17 to pre-register, allowing them to automatically become registered voters when they turn 18.

All participating schools were invited to attend the awards ceremony virtually, and the top 3 winners in each category were invited to attend in person. Mission Bay High School will also receive a special visit from radio and television personality Geena the Latina.

(City of San Diego Release) n